In order to better appreciate Moana 2, a little context is needed: Moana 2 was originally a Disney+ TV series, but was hastily called up to the big leagues when Disney realized it had a big hole in its November 2024 theatrical release schedule (and also as a way to move costs off of Disney+’s books in a feable attempt to make the streaming service appear profitable).
As a result, the studio had less than a year to convert the show into a feature-length film, which included momentous tasks—signing Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson to reprise their roles, writing songs without Lin-Manuel Miranda, upscaling the animation from TV quality to feature quality, and condensing the season-long story into feature-length narrative. Oh, and not to mention the fact that animation was being done in an entirely new Vancouver studio set up specifically to create TV series for Disney+, not in the flagship Burbank headquarters.
So Disney had a momentous task on its hands. Did Disney pull off the impossible and make a sequel worthy of its predecessor?
Moana 2 continues the story where the first film left off. Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) is a wayfinder, exploring other islands looking for signs of human life. When Moana finally discovered a broken piece of pottery, she enlists a motley crew of island folk to help her on her adventure. But things quickly go awry and they are swallowed by a giant clam, stranding them in the underworld, where the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) just so happens to be trapped. They free Maui and together work together to find the mythical island of Motufetū, where the God of Storms has submerged it under the sea out of reach from mortals.
The biggest problem with Moana 2 is the pacing. If it feels like it took ten hours of story and crammed it into two, it’s because they most likely did. The film spends way too much time expositing with Moana on her home island of Motunui. It’s not until the 36-minute mark that she finally embarks on her journey. It makes one wonder if this extended sequence was simply the pilot episode that was already (or nearly) fully animated and, instead of trimming it down, they kept it mostly intact in order to save on time and production costs.
The songs from the original film became instant Disney classics, thanks to the musical genius of Lin-Manuel Miranda. But with an extremely short timeline this time around, he didn’t return and songwriting duo Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear (Barlow & Bear) stepped in to fulfill the task instead. Despite their best efforts, the songs are bland and unmemorable. If anything, they simply try to recreate the famous songs from the first film; “We’re Back” is “Where You Are”, “Beyond” is “How Far I’ll Go” (Moana even walks up the same mountain), and Maui’s “Can I Get A Chee Hoo?” is an attempt at “You’re Welcome”. While the songs in the first film are earworms, upon leaving the theater, you won’t be humming any of these songs because you’ve already forgotten them.
Another big problem is that Moana is a Mary Sue. She has zero fatal flaws, small flaws, or low points to overcome. Whatever she sets her mind to, she achieves. There is one scene where Moana does break down, bemoaning the fact that she fails at everything, but the audience hasn’t actually seen any of those events (again, probably another cut story beat from the series)! You’re left confused as to why she’s suddenly behaving this way. But never fear, after a short pep talk with Maui, she peps up and sets sail again to save the world, being the girl boss that she is.
The new crew members—the Maui superfan, Moni (Hualālai Chung); the brainy builder, Loto (Rose Matafeo); and grumpy farmer Kele (David Fane)—are underdeveloped and nearly invisible. They most likely each had a dedicated episode to build their character arc, growing throughout the season. But what’s left are one-note characters who are thrown aside and forgotten as soon as they serve their purpose in the plot.
A highlight is the goddess antagonist, Matangi (Awhimai Fraser). Her design is alluring and everything she says, does, or sings is fantastically histrionic. Her song is fun, but any threat that she poses is quickly neutered as she reveals herself to be more friend than foe, helping Moana out of a bind. It would have been nice to see her developed in a full-fledged villain who seduces Moana away from Maui, causing actual problems and subverting the mission. But alas, it seems she was just meant to be a villain of the week, never to be seen or heard from again.
At times the animation looks good. To the untrained eye, there doesn’t appear to be any difference in animation quality from the 2016 film to this. Many of the hero or up-close shots look fantastic; however, there are moments where the TV budget shows through the cracks: some background characters look plasticky, hair feels stiff and lacks movement (especially underwater), and the water feels stagnant.
Ultimately the problem with Moana 2 is that it doesn’t push new boundaries but stays in the shallow end, hitting familiar beats from the first film. Moana called to an adventure? Check. Kakamora attack? Check. Maui joins halfway through? Check. Moana defeating the final god villain? Check.
While most moviegoers and families will enjoy this popcorn flick, those wanting to see how far Disney will go to push the boundaries of storytelling for this sequel won’t have to look very far. You’re best off checking this one out on Disney+ where it originally was intended. You’re welcome.
Moana 2 hits theaters Wednesday, November 27, 2024.
★★
